Table bowling-alley.



PATENTED OCT. 3, 1905.

A. B. MBRGKLING. TABLE BOWLING ALLEY. APPLICATION FILED JAN,9,1905.

SHEET 1 2 SHEETS- INVENTOR t W iTN ESSES v PATBNTED OCT. 3, 1905.

w v NVENTOR MI W,

m w q ,0 m 4 w. a m u Y? S I WITNESSES.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

TABLE BOWLING-ALLEY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 3, 1905.

Application filed January 9, 1905. Serial No. 240.200.

T0 fbZ Z whont it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANDREW E. MnRoKLINe, a citizen of the United States,residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Table Bowling-Alleys;and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, and to characters of reference markedthereon, which form a part of this specification.

The objects of this invention are to produce amusement of a novelvariety; to reduce the cost of table bowling-alleys, to enable the sameto be packed away in a small package, and thereby secure a greaterconvenience and occupy less space in storage; to reduce the cost ofconstruction, and to secure other advantages and results, some of whichmay be referred to hereinafter in connection with the description of theworking parts.

The invention consists in the improved table bowling-alley and in thearrangements and combinations of parts of the same, all substantially aswill be hereinafter set forth and finally embraced in the clauses of theclaim.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which like characters ofreference indicate corresponding parts in each of the several figures,Figure 1 is a plan of the improved bowling-alley or game apparatus. Fig.2 is a detail View taken at line 00 of Fig. 4:. Fig. 3 is a centrallongitudinal section of the device. Fig. i is a sectional view taken atline y of Fig. 8; and Fig. 5 is a detail elevation of theball-propelling device employed in connection with the other elements ofthe apparatus.

In said drawings, 6 indicates the bowling extension of the alley,comprising a long band of textile fabricsuch as felt, woven woolen,cotton goods, or like material adapted to stretch from one end of thetable to or near to the opposite end. To one end of this said alleyextension 6 is attached a frame 7, from which a swinging gate 8 issuspended, the said gate 8 being disposed to lie vertically over thesaid alley extension 6, so that the balls rolling over the latter mayenter under said gate and beheld in a receptacle 9 in said frame at theback of said gate.

to prevent the bowling-balls in the event of their missing the pins fromrebounding and This said gate serves thus striking the pins. Inconnection with said frame 7 or forming a part thereof are arrangedposts 10 10, preferably coincident with the opposite longitudinal edgesof the alley, the said posts extending up two inches, more or less, fromthe surface of the alley and at their upper extremities providingbearings for a horizontal rod 11, from which the gate 8 is suspended,the said rod 11 permitting a very free pivotal movement of said gate, sothat the entrance of the balls beneath will not be materially interferedwith, and yet the weight of the gate will provide sufficient resistanceto prevent the return movement of the bowling-balls. At the back of saidposts in the preferred construction of the frame I have provided ahorizontal railing 12, which is suitably shaped and held in position tohold the said balls within proper bounds afterthe same have rolledbeneath the swinging gate. Underneath the alley extension 6 the saidframe provides a thin horizontal plate 71, to which the other parts ofthe frame 7 are rigidly secured. Underneath said plate 71 are stays orclips 13, (shown more clearly in Figs. 3 and 4,) the said clips beingstrap-like pieces of' proper shape to hook beneath the edge of the tableT, so that when draft is applied to the band-like alley the said framewill be held firmly in proper relative position on the table. The saidhooks permit the said frame to be applied to the table with the greatestease and facility. I am aware that the frame 7 may be made in variousways to meet different ideas of neatness, propriety of expense, &c. Forexample, the said frame may be made of wood, or it may be partly of Woodand partly of metal, and the various modifications involved in suchchanges being obvious do not require specification. The said posts 10 10provide terminal supports for fences 14: 14, disposed at opposite sidesof the alley extension. These may be of any suitable material or of anydesired construction; but I prefer to make the said fences in sectionsof thin cardboard, the sections being joined by textile fabric,preferably such as is employed in the manufacture of the alleyextension. The said textile fabric permits of an easy folding of thesections together in packing the device away and also permits a veryfree adjustment of the fence, sothat it may be properly arranged to meetthe demands of various tables. The outer or free ends of the fences 14are preferably held by separable fence-posts 15. These comprisefoundationpieces 16, of turned wood, and a wire-standard 17, to which oraround which the textile fabric for uniting the sections is turned, asindicated in Fig. 1. The posts permit of an easy adjustment of the endsof the fences, so that the angles of the sections may be changed withrelation to the longitudinal axial line of the alley at will to meet therequirements of the game, or, as before indicated, to meet the demandsof the table. Ordinarily the said fences let are disposed in theirrelation to the alloy at angles less than right angles to thelongitudinal line of the alley, so that the surface of the fencesagainst which the balls impinge will tend to guide the balls toward theswinging gate, the said fences thereby serving not only to prevent theballs from rolling directly off the table, but as guides to conduct theminto the receptacle 9 at the end of the alley.

In the folding and packing of the device for storage the posts 15 may beremoved from the fence 14 by simply withdrawing the standard from theloop formed by turning the fence fabric from one side of thefence-section to the other, the said posts thereby being packed awayindependent of the other fence-sections, all of which conduces tocompactness in storage.

The alley extension 6, preferably at a point between the ends of thefences when the latter are in their preferred positions, is providedwith ten spots 29, Fig. 1, imprinted thereon, the said spots being inthe usual order employed in connection with the game of tenpins. Onthese spots may be arranged the pins 17. (Shown in Fig. 3.)

At the end of the alley opposite the swinging gate I have provided analley-extension holder 18, adapted to cooperate with the clips 13 inholding the textile alley under tension. The said holder 18 comprises aclamp 181, provided at the top or near the top with a spring-actuatedball-propeller 19 of any suitable construction and beneath saidball-propeller havinga broad clamping-jaw 20, adapted to extendtransversely across or nearly across the extension. From this transversebar 20 the body of the said clamp extends around and underneath the edgeof the table, as shown in Fig. 3, and on the under side thereof it isprovided with a clamping-screw 23, having a second transverse bar 24..The last said transverse bar is somewhat wider than the textile alleyand is provided with a loop 25, which forms a slot with the transversebar 2 1, through which the textile extension extends, said textile alleyextension thus being held adjustably to the holder 18.

W'hen the alley is to be fixed upon the table under tension, the hooks13 13 of the frame to which one end of the alley extensionis fastenedare caught at one end of the table. The said alley extension is thendrawn smoothly across the table and through the loosely-arranged clamp18 applied to the opposite edge of the table. Said clamp is then screwedup to fasten the alley extension in place under tension. The fences arethen properly arranged in position substantially as shown in Fig. 1. Thepins 17 are then placed on the spots 29, a bowling-ball 31 placed in thefront of the ball-propeller19, the latter drawn back against the powerof the spring 31, and on releasing the hold the ball is driven over thealley extension to the pins or against one of the fences or into thereceptacle through the gateway of the swinging gate. When the alley isto be fixed upon the table under tension, as above described, the saidholder 18 is slipped along the textile band to a position where it willwhile holding the band lie in proper relation to the edge of the tableopposite that holding the opposite end of said alley or band.

I am aware that various changes of construction may be employed, and Ido not wish to be understood. as limiting myself to all the details ofconstruction referred to, it being understood that various modificationsmay be employed without departing from the spirit or scope of theinvention.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new is- 1. Theimproved game apparatus herein described comprising a flexible alley oftextile fabric adapted to be rolled or folded for packing and storage,said flexible alley having at one end thereof, a fence having a swinginggate in the line of said alley, and back of said gate also in the lineof the alley having a receptacle for the bowling-balls, and at theopposite end having a ballpropulsion device adjustably attached theretoand means for holding the said alley upon the table, substantially asset forth.

2. The improved game apparatus herein described, comprising a flexiblealley of textile fabric adapted to be rolled or folded for packing andstorage, said flexible alley having at one end thereof a swinging gateand on oppo site sides of said swinging gate and flexible alley, afolding fence, and also having back of said swinging gate a receptaclefor the bowling-balls, and at the opposite end having a ball-propulsiondevice adjustably attached thereto and means for holding the said alleyupon the table under tension, substantially as set forth.

3. The improved bowling-alley herein described comprising a flexibleband adapted to be stretched upon a table to form a bowlingalley, saidband having at one end a clip adapted to engage the edge of the table,and having adjustably arranged thereon, a clamp adapted to cooperatewith said clip to hold said flexible band stretched upon the table, areceptacle at the end of said band for the balls, means for preventingthe rebounding of said balls, and a fence, substantially as set forth.

. being adapted to hold fixed both the ball-pro- 4. The improvedbowling-alley herein described comprising a flexible band having clipsattached at one end and distant from the said clips having an adjustableclamp, provided at the top with a ball-propeller, the said clamp pellerand flexible band to the table, a receptacle for the balls, means forpreventing the rebounding of said balls, and a folding fence,substantially as set forth.

5. The improved bowling-alley herein described comprising flexible bandhaving hooks attached at one end and distant from the said hooks havingan adjustable clamp, a receptacle for the halls, means for preventingthe rebounding of said balls and asectional fence arranged on oppositesides of said band and adapted to be unfolded and disposed at acuteangles to the alley to guide the balls into the receptacle after passingthe pins on said band, substantially as set forth.

6. The improved bowlipg-alley herein described, comprising a flexiblehand having a frame at one end with a receptacle for balls, said framealso providing supporting means for a swinging gate and vertical fences,said fences attached each at one end to said frame 4 suspended from saidsupporting means of the frame and adapted to prevent the return of theballs, and means for fixing the band under tension to the table,substantially as set forth.

7. The combination With the alley adapted to be stretched upon a tableand having at one end an attached frame to which a hook is attached andwhich is provided With a suspensory support for a gate, posts forfolding fences and a railing to prevent passage of the bowling-ballsfrom the table,of folding fences attached at opposite sides of saidalley to said posts of the frame and a swinging gate suspended from thesuspensory support of said frame, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this22d day of December, 1904.

ANDREW E. MERGKLING.

Witnesses:

RUSSELL M. EVERETT, CHARLES H. PELL.

